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WHITECAPS ANNOUNCE USL PRO SOCCER CLUB

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New Westminster's Queens Park will be the new home for the squad starting 2015
Posted on 7/8/2014 9:35:00 AM by Karen Thomson

ir.ashx

Vancouver Whitecaps FC and the City of New Westminster have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), marking their intent to work towards the launch of a United Soccer Leagues (USL) PRO franchise to the community of New Westminster.

“We are thrilled to announce our efforts with the City of New Westminster to bring a new professional soccer team to its vibrant sports and family oriented community,” said club president Bob Lenarduzzi. “A USL PRO franchise in our own backyard is an important step in our efforts to support the development of players, especially young Canadians, at every level by bridging the pathway to our Major Soccer League team, as well as the national team.”

In addition to the current Whitecaps FC ownership group, the proposed USL PRO franchise will be co-owned and operated by Port Coquitlam native Ian Gillespie of Westbank Projects Corp., and New Westminster native Gary Pooni of Brook Pooni Associates.

Lenarduzzi continued: “There is a lot of work ahead, but we’re looking forward to working with the City of New Westminster and all of its stakeholders to make this vision a reality and provide a significant community asset for years to come."

“This is a great initiative that will bring tremendous benefits for our city,” said New Westminster Mayor Wayne Wright. “The upgrades to Queens Park Stadium including a new turf field, video scoreboard, and lighting, along with locating a Whitecaps FC USL PRO franchise in our community will put New Westminster on the map when it comes to the best soccer has to offer.”

Queens Park Stadium is the intended site for the franchise, and should the project proceed, it will be refurbished for Whitecaps FC. Community consultation and all related processes will get underway immediately as both parties work towards the USL PRO deadline of September 15, 2014 in order to launch the club’s first USL PRO season in March 2015. The upgraded venue may also see match action from other Whitecaps FC teams including the Girls Elite U-18 team and the Boys U-16 and U-18 Residency sides, as well as other grassroots programs and activities.

ABOUT WHITECAPS FC
Vancouver Whitecaps FC are the longest running and most successful professional soccer club in Canadian history. The ’Caps played their inaugural season in 1974 and five years later the club won the North American Soccer League Soccer Bowl championship. From 1987 to 1992, as a member of the Canadian Soccer League, Vancouver won four straight CSL titles, and in 2006 and 2008 Whitecaps FC won the USL First Division championship. In 2002, the Whitecaps created a full club model that includes an extensive youth development and grassroots participation programs, facility development, and community relations to support specific initiatives related to health and wellness through soccer. For more information about Whitecaps FC, visit whitecapsfc.com.

ABOUT CITY OF NEW WESTMINSTER
As western Canada’s original city, New Westminster has a history of creating opportunity and setting trends. With major investments underway in new residential, commercial and public space supported by active, engaged residents, the city is reinventing itself as a vibrant, walkable, up-and-coming place to be.

ABOUT USL PRO
USL PRO is the strongest U.S. men’s professional soccer league on and off the field below and in support of Major League Soccer (MLS). Focused on league stability and franchise performance longevity, USL PRO features 14 teams, including expansion teams in Los Angeles, Oklahoma City and Sacramento. Teams have already been announced for 2015 in Austin, Colorado Springs, Louisville, Saint Louis and Tulsa, with more additions expected soon. Through aggressive and deliberate growth in adding teams fully capable of meeting USL and US Soccer standards, USL PRO is building a robust, national professional soccer league in a format that promotes the benefits of regional league play. In 2013 USL PRO began a groundbreaking, multi-year partnership with MLS that features individual team affiliations, inter-league play, and the opportunity for MLS clubs to field a second team in USL PRO. USL PRO is the longest-standing pro league affiliate member of US Soccer.
 

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Good luck getting to games there, I can't think of a worse location in terms of transportation in the lower mainland :eek:

Hate to see Queen's Park being TURFED :mad:
 

WaterBreak

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Having lived in new west for 5 1/2 years, there is no room to park. congestion is already back, and getting worse. it's a great idea but depending on how many people you play to have in there, this can go sideways real quick.
 

Dude

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It's obviously a political move for New West as much as a business move. I commented in the other thread that I actuaolly thought Victoria would have been a great spot, so far as actually generating support.

Why not Burnaby or Town Centre? I can only guess bad lease deals put forth?

I'm not sure a full house of supporters is the primary motivation here. In this case, the business model is different when WFC is paying the salaries of the players, and the team, as a business unit, is only responsible for the remaining overhead. Throw in a sweatheart deal from the City, and all of a sudden it makes some sense.
 

Gurps

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I agree with Dude where's my Car. Victoria would have been a much better option, only soccer game in town and support would have been great.
 

PV

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Good luck getting to games there, I can't think of a worse location in terms of transportation in the lower mainland :eek:
Hate to see Queen's Park being TURFED :mad:
I agree about the grass/turf. New West has not been successful in drawing a big client to use stadium for baseball so perhaps this will mean the City will eliminate the sand parts of the baseball infield back to grass. There is no reason to switch to turf because the stadium is large enough to play games north south for one month and east west the next month.
Many fields have worse locations - Ambleside, Cloverdale, Towncentre come to mind.
Burnaby Lake is the best overall location in the lower mainland, but its all turf and is already fully booked in the evenings so good luck booting out current tenants.
 

dutch08

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Coquitlam Town Centre would have been great with the sky train extending to a block away... New West is odd. I would have thought a facility in Surrey would draw better. I agree with Victoria...
 

RL RCD

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Burnaby Lake is the best overall location in the lower mainland, but its all turf and is already fully booked in the evenings so good luck booting out current tenants.

I am quite sure that Whitecaps have field #5 at BLW which no one else can access (no stands, of course). Always wondered if Whitecaps were paying any money to Burnaby for that field since often, very, very often, that field is locked (and no one is there) while numerous youth teams struggle to get a field even for a practice.

USL team is a good move for Whitecaps (something that was really missing and numerous TTPers were talking about that a lot in the past so maybe somebody from Whitecaps reads this forum and getting ideas) but that park in New West is definitely a wrong spot. Why not Swangard? Really, really strange since that stadium has been already used in the past and people could easily relate to it and USL team.
 

Mr Base

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This is all good but we need Canadian Pro league. It will happen when Bob steps down. One thing for sure he loves to blow American Horn.
If he stays around Canadian soccer ranking will end-up at 200 in the World.
One has to give his head a shake. PCSL is good enough league to play in. I guess Bob hates to loose to Canadian teams.
 

Dude

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Am I the only one that sees that lease price and political motivation are factors, here?

Seriously, besides Skytrain accessibility, why Swanguard? You know tyhe City would have been charging through the nose. Plus, the joint venture owners are New West people.

I don't see it being that big a deal. There is a lot that I'm sure went into this deal that we're not privy to that would make this the best deal from them. You just don't have the luxury of choosing the location, sometimes you have to work with the best fit, overall, available. I bet the lease is peanuts.
 

mtkb

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I am quite sure that Whitecaps have field #5 at BLW which no one else can access (no stands, of course). Always wondered if Whitecaps were paying any money to Burnaby for that field since often, very, very often, that field is locked (and no one is there) while numerous youth teams struggle to get a field even for a practice.

USL team is a good move for Whitecaps (something that was really missing and numerous TTPers were talking about that a lot in the past so maybe somebody from Whitecaps reads this forum and getting ideas) but that park in New West is definitely a wrong spot. Why not Swangard? Really, really strange since that stadium has been already used in the past and people could easily relate to it and USL team.

Not true. Fortius owns BLW #5 and rents it out. Tulis is the main tenant, and my club rents signicant time there as well. Whitecaps don't have any ownership stake in that at all, to my knowledge...

In fact, the Caps approached Burnaby a while ago to develop the empty area to the north of BLW #4 and #5 into a their one-stop everything Whitecaps HQ. Don't know the details of how that went but let's just say the Caps aren't there....
 

Rene

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Gripe all you want, at least their doing something...I hate to say it...After all the roadblocks at the all civic levels, at least their moving forward and keeping it local. The biggiest problem I have is this misguided love of turf.
 

Regs

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I bet there would have been no road-blocks if they approached Spuzzam right from the get-go... so your point is moot.
 

Regs

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BTW, I think that is the first time I've used 'moot' in a sentence in 5 years :)
 

Rene

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Glad to give you the opportunity to use your dated lexicon.( Tehe used a word don't think I ever used. ) My point being we all know mistakes have been made, but lest just get it right this time, that said the whitecaps is a selffish enterprise looking for them to do the CSA's work will always lead to disappointment. The real revamp needed is at BCSA and the CSA, we need as collective stakeholders to get a knarled foot in there and twist some nuts!
 

Ballbaby

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Glad to give you the opportunity to use your dated lexicon.( Tehe used a word don't think I ever used. ) My point being we all know mistakes have been made, but lest just get it right this time, that said the whitecaps is a selffish enterprise looking for them to do the CSA's work will always lead to disappointment. The real revamp needed is at BCSA and the CSA, we need as collective stakeholders to get a knarled foot in there and twist some nuts!


Well stated!
 

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